30 Iranian Pilgrims Released in Iraq

Iran's ambassador to Iraq on Wednesday gave word of release of 30 Iranian nationals who had illegally entered Iraqi territories for visiting the holy shrines and were arrested by Iraqi security forces, Iran Daily reported.

"Due the follow-ups made by the embassy and the attention of Iraqi officials, an order was issued for freedom of 50 Iranians who had been arrested for entering Iraq illegally for visiting holy shrines. From the said number, 30 people were freed today... The remaining 20 people will be freed within the next couple of days," added Hassan Danaeifar, Mehr News Agency reported.

The envoy warned that Baghdad has considered restrict laws and regulations for illegal entry into the country.

"Therefore, it is necessary that Iranian pilgrims seriously refrain from entering Iraq illegally and only travel to the country through legal channels," he noted.
Host to the shrines of six Shiite Imams in the central cities of Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiya and the northern city of Samarra, Iraq draws millions of Iranian pilgrims every year.

Some try to enter the neighboring state on their own and without legal papers and visa. In the early years after the fall of the former dictator Saddam Hussein, following the US-led invasion in 2003, thousands of Iranians tried to enter Iraq illegally to visit the holy shrines.

On Sunday, Danaeifar described the January 5-6 visit to Iraq by acting foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, as "successful and timely".

After returning home from the visit, Salehi had said that Iraqi officials had agreed to release a large number of Iranian inmates.

"Iraqi officials have taken effective measures in this regard and we will soon see the freedom of a considerable number of Iranian prisoners in Iraq," Fars News Agency quoted Salehi as saying Saturday.